Drier



'w. M. BROWNELL..

APPLICATION FILD APR. 6 1917. RENEWED OCT. 28., 1920- Patented 'May 17, 1921 s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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Mlnventor;

lAtty W. M. BROWNELL.

umm.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6| ISI-7. RENEWED 0ST. 28| i920.

1,378,808. l Ptented May 17, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET` 2.

W. M. BROWNELL. y DRIER. A APPLICATION FILED APR. A(i, 1917. RENEWED OCT. 28; 1920. i 1,378,808.A Patented May 17,1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Attest; I )OZ rmpwZc-lnv'entor: f by 4 @M Mwj Atty.

WILLIAM M. BROWNELL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

DRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 17, 1921.

Application led April 6, 1917, Serial No.` 160,243. Renewed ctober 28, 1920. Serial No. 420,322.

T 0 aZZwwm may concern.'

Be in known that I, IVILLIAM M. BROWN- ELL, citizen of the United States,y and resident-of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a drier designed to be supplied with a forced current of heated air for drying grain, sugar, casein, seed, vegetables, nuts, fruits and other divided or comminuted materials. It comprises a plurality of units*each constructed with spiral or volute drying channels which, when the units are rotated, cause the material being treated to travel to the center of the rst unit, thence in a second unit to travel back to the outer edge thereof, the units thus working in pairs. The invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, to which reference is made and which form a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the body of the drier without bearings for the shaft and without means for rotating the same, several of the units and a portion of the shaft being shown in sectional elevation.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation on line 2--2` of Fig. 1. n

Fig. 3 is a like view on line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is a broken elevation of the outlet end of the drier.

In the drawings 2, 2 and 3, 3, designate the units of the drier mounted rigidly on the central main shaft 4. The first unit at the intake end of the drier is faced with a diaphragm 5 held by the central flange G at the shaft and rim 7 at the outer edge. The units are separatedby diaphragms 8 of foraminous materialpreferably made of woven wire. The units 2 throughout the drier are practically duplicates of one another with the inlet for the material located at the outer edge so that in the revolution the material will travel in the spiral drying channel to the center of the units. The alternate units 3, 3 are practically duplicates of one another and are practically duplicates of the units 2 except that the inlet for the material is located at or near the central coil and main shaft 4 so that in the revolution the material taken in will travel in the spirals toward the outer edge of the said unitsin other words, the reverse of the direction of travel of the material in the units 2.

.In the construction here shown the material to be treated is supplied to a sloping iange 9 from which it enters the first unit 2 through an intake opening 10 (Fig. l), and enters the iirst and outer 'convolution at 12 (Fig. 2). The spiral channel of each unit is formed by a narrow strip 13 coiled in the form of a ieliX as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 closed on each side by preference by the diaphragms 8 above mentioned interposed between the units. The strip 13 may be of sheet metal, woven wire or of any other suitable material.

The material on reaching the inner end of the spiral channel of the first unit 2 enters theinner end of the spiral channel of the adjacent unit 8, through an opening 14 (Fig. 1) and travels back to the outer edge of that unit and thence enters the outer end of the second unit 2 through a like` opening not necessary to be shown, and so on to the final outlet 15 (Fig. 4), where the material is discharged in a dry state, preferably through an automatically operated trap or door 16 to be hereinafter described.

The strips '13 forming'the bottom of the spiral channel of each unit is held by spokes 17 radiating from hubs 18 mounted on the main shaft 4, and at their outer ends by rims 19 having edge flanges 20, 20, to receive bolts 21, 21,` by which the units are bolted together, thus forming the solid outer housing or shell of the drier as shown'on Fig. 1.

The Vspiral channel of each unit isV providedwith buckets 22 in one or more or all Y of its'convolutions, preferably in four of its turns as shown 1n F1gs.'2 and 3. In the vother turns I prefer to employ buckets of the form indicated at 23, but the form shown at 22 may be employedthroughout all of the convolutions if desired, and in order to add stability I place short lengths of tubing 24 on the spokes 17 and interpose them between the convolutions and between the buckets on the spokes as shown in Fig. 1.

The buckets are by preference mounted on the spokes' 17 so as to form stays or abutments for the coils of the strip 13 but they may be mounted on the strips themselves it desired.

The buckets 22 are formedveach with a pocket 25 at one edge or side and With'an in Wardly projecting ledge or flange 26 at the other, both being arranged transverse of the spiral channel.

Referring now to Fig. 2, and assuming a body or charge of material to be located at the arrow at the bottom ot the channel, the ledges26 and the buckets 25 Will pass into and through it and become loaded with it and as from this point the unit revolves, the material Will be shifted and carried along by the buckets to approximately the position of the third spoke counting to the lett Jfrom the arrow. At this position and possibly somewhat before a portion of the material (now moist or Wet) Will begin to Jfall back-some will tall oit trom the pockets 25 and drop down upon the bottom of the spiral channel and slide down to the ledge of the succeeding bucket, and some will tall ott from the upper surface oi the heaped-up pockets and then tall back upon the bottom of the channel and With the rest slide down to the succeeding buckets. This action continues until the buckets begin to reach the top, When all of the material Will dislodge from the ledges and some more from the pockets and the material thus dislodged will fall upon the heated surface of the next inner convolution and slide down that a distance and then glance across the channel and strike upon the heated strip there and down to meet impact with the material on the still oncoming buckets. The material contained in the pockets 25, or a suiiicient amount of it, Will be carried over the vertical position to the dorvnturning slide and will be dropped therefrom upon the outer surfacev of the strip which forms the second convolution of the spiral channel and thence slide down this heated surface until it drops across the channel and strikes the bottom of the pockets 25. rlhe retarding ot the material, agitation, `falling through space occupied by heated air, (as described below), abrasion, sliding over heated surfaces and impact o' drier material upon less dry, exposes the material to the action ot the heated surfaces, material and air not only through a protracted period ot time but to the best advantage for the evaporation of the moisture Without agglomeration or banking up at any part of the run through the unit.

As before stated, the buckets 22 may be used throughout but Where the convolutious near the axis are shorter, I may use` the buckets 23, each Jformed with tivo ledges 27 Which carry up the material as in a trough and none to speak of carried over the vertical to the down-turning side of the unit.

When the material passes into the second unit 3 it is cspiraled back in the reverse direction, and with the same action as just described, to the outer edge of the third unit 2, in which latter it goes to the center again and so on through the Whole length of the drier.

rlhe heated air for drying is forced into the drier through the annular flange 28 and is forced through in opposition to the oncoming material, the air being distributed throughout the spiral channels by the foraminous diaphragms which partition the units from each other so that the hottest air mingles first with the driest material, which, with some material, casein, tor example, obviates the danger oi' scorching.

In order to confine the heated air and prevent it from escaping materially at the discharge tor the dry material, I provide the discharge opening 15 with a lid or door 16 which is normally closed by a spring 29 (Figs. 1 and 4) applied to the pintle 30, which latter is provided with an arm 31 arranged. to strike a cam 32 as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4. During the travel past the cam, the trap is open for the dis charge oit dry material and at all other times in the revolution it is held closed by the said spring. I do not limit myself to this arrangement as various other means Within wide range may be employed for preventing the escape of air between the intervals of disrfharge of the dry material.

It is manifest that the current of heated air may be produced by pressure or by exhaust, and that the same may be supplied at either end of the drier to move with the material through the coils or in opposition thereto, according to the requirements of the particular material being treated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as nevv and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a drier a rotatory unit consisting of a series of radial spokes, a strip in the form of a coil secured to said spokes, forming a spiral drying channel, an outer rim in Which the outer ends of said spokes are secured and "toraminous diaphragms secured at the sides of the unit, substantially as described.

2. In a drier a rotatory unit consisting ot a series of radial spokes, a strip in the form of a coil secured to said spokes, orming a spiral drying channel, an outer rim in which the ends of the spokes are secured, toraminous diaphragme secured at the sides ot the units and a series of buckets in said channels for showering the material contained in said channels, substantially as described.

3. In a drier a rotatory unit consisting of a series of radial spokes, a strip in the form of a spiral secured to said spokesforming a spiral drying channel, an outer rim in which outer ends of the spokes are secured, Iforain-v inous diaphragms secured at the sides of the units and a series of buckets located in said channel and secured to said spokes, substantially as described.

4. In a drier a rotatory unit consisting of a strip coiled to form a spiral drying channel, iioraminous diaphragme at the sides of said unit and a series of buckets located in said channel constructed With pockets adapted to carry up a portion of the Inaterial in said channel and discharge it upon the down-turning side of said unit, substantially as described.

5. In a drier a rotatory unit comprising a strip coiled to form a spiral drying channel and a series of buckets located in said channel constructed With pockets adapted to carry up a portion of the material in said channel and discharge it upon the downturning side of the unit, substantially as described. e

6. In a drier a rotatory unit comprising a strip coiled to form a spiral drying channel, a series of buckets located in said channel adapted to shower a portion of the material in said channel on the up-turning side of the Vunit and to carry up a portion of the mate` rial and discharge it upon the down-turning side of the unit, substantially as described.

7. In a drier a rctatory unit comprising a strip coiled to form a spiral drying channel and a series of buckets located in said channel and formed With a liange at one edge and a pocket at the other as and for the purposes described.

8. In a drier a rotatory unit comprising a strip coiled to forni a spiral drying channel, foraminous diaphragms at the sides of said unit and a series of buckets located in said channel formed with a flange at one edge and a pocket at the other, substantially as and for the purposes described.

9. In a drier a rotatory unit comprising a strip coiled to form a spiral drying channel, oraminous diaphragms at the sides of said unit, a series of radial spokes for retaining said coiled strip, an outer rim secured to the outer ends of said spokes and a series of buckets secured to said spokes in said channel, said buckets being formed With a flange at one edge and a pocket at the other, substantially as described.

10. A drier comprising a plurality of rotatory units, each having a series of radiating spokes, a strip coiled to form a spiral drying channel and held by said spokes, an outer rim secured to the outer ends of said spokes, a series of buckets located on said channel and adapted to shower the material therein, said rims of adjacent units being bolted together, combined with foraminous diaphragms or partitions held between the units, substantially as described.

WILLIAM M. BROWNELL.

Witnesses:

E. L. Bo'rHEL, E. Gr. JOHNSON. 

